Men's Lifestyle October 29, 2026 0 Comments

Why Pete Hegseth in the Senate Could Be the Worst Political Workout for America — Here’s What You Need to Know Before It’s Too Late

Ever feel like democracy is less of a well-oiled machine and more of a slapstick comedy routine? Welcome to the latest episode from the Laboratories of Democracy—a place where political missteps, unexpected scandals, and downright baffling antics unravel across the states like a never-ending reality show. From Tennessee’s Senate seat shenanigans to Alaska’s ballot tricks that even made The New York Times clutch their pearls, this week’s roundup shoves the spotlight on the messy, often ludicrous behind-the-scenes of government at work. And just when you think it can’t get any wilder, Minnesota’s infamous provocateur James O’Keefe steps into the frame, turning election laws into his latest stage. So, buckle up and ask yourself—if democracy is the gym, who forgot to spot the weights? Let’s dive into the chaos where the real sweat happens. LEARN MORE.

6 min read

This Week in the Laboratories of Democracy

(Permanent Musical Accompaniment to This Post)

Being our semi-regular weekly survey of what’s goin’ down in the several states where, as we know, the real work of governmentin’ gets done and where the good shepherd grieves.

Let’s begin in Tennessee with a really terrible comedy sketch. From Puck:

Already there’s chatter on the Hill that Hegseth has been angling for Sen. Marsha Blackburn to appoint him to her Senate seat, which she would vacate after winning her gubernatorial election. Hegseth lived in Tennessee for three years before he took over the Pentagon, but his short tenure there might not count as real Tennessee roots. He attended a University of Tennessee football game with Blackburn earlier this month. Next to them was Rep. Tim Burchett, who is also interested in being appointed to Blackburn’s seat. Burchett has spent his time campaigning for Blackburn in every county in the state, according to a person familiar with his intentions.

I have to believe that a seat in the United States Senate makes for a lousy getaway car. Hegseth would be Target 1 for a new Democratic congressional majority, and he’s been adjudged to be a public clown in any case. I don’t think even Blackburn is dumb enough to do something like this right out of the gate. (They don’t give out them home ec degrees at Mississippi State to just every mook, pal.) The alternative, alas, maybe be Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Area 51) because Tennessee. Ah, well.

Before we leave Tennessee, let’s give a nod to state senator Brent Taylor, who is currently running for Congress in the state’s 9th Congressional District. This week, Taylor copped to sending out nude pictures of himself. He also copped to have stopped aging at 19. From Nashville Scene:

Multiple sources say they had received or seen nude photos from Taylor, who is running for U.S. Congress in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District. Taylor acknowledged to the Scene that he had sent nude photos in the past but dismissed them as mistakes that have since been forgiven by his wife Kimberly. “As I near 60 years old, the expiration date has come and gone on any of my youthful indiscretions,” Taylor tells the Scene when asked about a history of texting nude pictures. “Whatever story you think you’ve got, my wife is well aware of and we’ve worked through it a long time ago. My god and my wife have forgiven me, and I would consider everyone else doing the same.”

Wait for it.

One individual—who requested anonymity, citing fear of retaliation—says they received an unsolicited nude picture from Taylor as recently as 2021, before he was elected to the state Senate. A second eyewitness source independently confirmed the nude photos sent by Taylor. At that time, Taylor was 53.

Annnnnnnd, scene!

Let us move on up to Alaska where, after The New York Times expressed horror at a sharp political trick that has been around since the dawn of time, the wheels of the official ratfck have begun to turn. From ABC News:

Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is ordering an investigation into an effort to recruit candidates for the state’s Senate race, including one with the same name as the incumbent Republican senator, following a New York Times report on the matter…Dunleavy said he was directing the state’s Department of Public Safety to investigate whether the effort violated Alaska law and whether criminal charges or civil action were warranted.

Pro Tip: they’re not.

The Times report said it relied on 12 sources, text messages and documents that allegedly showed members of Peltola’s campaign, lawyers for Peltola and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) contributed to pushing Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican on Alaska’s four-way ballot, to run. The Times said the effort to find a spoiler candidate—who could potentially siphon votes from Sen. Sullivan and benefit Peltola—was internally referred to as the ballot composition project.

Horrors! Those of us who grew up in the Commonwealth (God save it!) find the outraged innocence of the governor—and that of the NYT—pretty damn hilarious. Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog, also a local lad, compared the ploy to a similar gambit in a Massachusetts governor’s race. As is the case with the two Dan Sullivans in Alaska, there were two Edward Kings on the ballot differing only in their middle names. It has no effect on the eventual election; the Democratic Ed King won by about 100,000 and was a terrible governor, by the way.

And, if you need your shenanigans committed by historical icons, remember that, in 1946, when John F. Kennedy first ran for Congress, two candidates named Joe Russo mysteriously turned up against him in the Democratic primary. One of the Joe Russos was a Boston city councilor and a popular local politician. The other one was a janitor. Local historians long ago revealed that Janitor Joe was paid by the Kennedy campaign to run in the primary and split the Joe Russo Vote. JFK won in a landslide anyway. Voters are not as dumb as Alaska Republicans say they are.

One more election item. Up in Minnesota, they’ve rousted a notorious ratfcker. From NBC News:

A Minnesota prosecutor charged conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and influencer Cam Higby on Wednesday with felony counts of unlawful voting and identity theft after they showed up at polling places in August using the names of registered voters. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who announced the charges at a news conference, accused the pair of entering polling places during state primary election voting on Aug. 11 and identifying themselves using the names of registered voters in those precincts without those voters’ knowledge or permission.

Oh, my, James. Get that pardon payoff in order. Natalie is standing by.

O’Keefe and Higby were using a process under Minnesota law known as vouching. It allows people to vouch for other voters on Election Day. A registered voter who lives in the same precinct can vouch for up to eight voters, while staff members of residential facilities can vouch for their residents. The pair of influencers disguised and recorded themselves going undercover using hidden cameras at the polling places. They posted videos capturing their interactions on social media in August. O’Keefe said on X that they dressed in “Muslim garb” — including, for one of them, a full-face veil known as a niqab — and that their goal was to “expose the sheer lunacy of Minnesota’s ‘vouching’ system.”

Up until James of Arabia showed up, the voucher system had been perfectly adequate for Minnesotan. It allowed people in the same precinct to vote essentially by proxy for those people who cannot vote because, for example, if they’d just moved and don’t yet have an acceptable proof of residence. At its best, it was an act of kindness which, to people like James O’Keefe, is like garlic to a vampire.

And we conclude, as is our custom, in the great state of Oklahoma, whence Blog Official Ginja Sampler Friedman of the Algarve brings us a tale of local government as corn maze. From Oklahoma Watch:

With a new, legally binding attorney general’s opinion preventing a third vote on the fate of a twice-failed application for state sanctioning for Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School, the Statewide Charter School Board took the only action remaining on its special meeting agenda Friday. The board voted 7-0 to file notice of appeal of a federal court order it requested and received, as its religious freedom attorneys ponder the next move with the proposal to open the nation’s first religious charter school with Oklahoma taxpayer money.

As the kidz say, “Whut?”

These people demanded a court order, got one, and then appealed it? Does anyone here know how to play this game?

Asked for its reaction, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office called the board’s vote strange and vowed not to approve the expenditure of a single state dollar on an appeal the Board has no standing to bring. “In April, the Board filed a brief in federal court supporting Ben Gamla’s motion. In September, the court granted the injunction the Board asked for,” said Leslie Berger, press secretary for the AG’s office. “As a general rule, a party that asks a court for an order and receives it cannot appeal. We are not aware of another instance in which a state board has asked a federal court for an injunction, gotten it, and then voted to appeal its own victory.”

Forget it, Jake. It’s Tulsatown.

This is your democracy, America. Cherish it.